Mihailo ( sr-cyr, Михаило, ; born Milovan Dožić; 15 November 18489 June 1914) was a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and all other Churches that follow Byzantine Rite is a monk who has been ordained a ...

and

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

, who established an insurgent battalion in Potarje (in

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

) to fight against

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in the region. Having been sent in 1866 to the Dobrilovina Monastery, Dožić made the monastery the centre of the spiritual and political life and aspirations for freedom in the wide area of Potarje, and organized an insurgent battalion in the Potarje region active between 1875 and 1878 (during the

Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–1878) The Montenegrin–Ottoman War ( sr-Cyrl, Црногорско-турски рат, Crnogorsko-turski rat, "Montenegrin-Turkish War"), also known in Montenegro as the Great War (, ''Velji rat''), was fought between the Principality of Montenegro ...

Life

He belonged to the Medenica brotherhood of Donja (Lower)

Morača The Morača ( cnr-Cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake Skadar. Its drainage basin covers ...

. He was one of the sons of Mijat Dožić, who had fought against the

Kolašin Kolašin (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Колашин, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census). Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality (population 9,949) and an unofficial centre of Morača region, nam ...

Turks (Ottomans). Mihailo's paternal great-grandfather was Milovan Dožić. In the late 19th century much of the Balkans were still under the

. Dožić, a young monk, was sent as an administrator by

Mirko Petrović-Njegoš Mirko Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyr, Мирко Петровић-Његош; 19 August 1820 – 1 August 1867) was a Montenegrin military commander, politician and poet, belonging to the House of Petrović-Njegoš. He was given the title of ''veliki ...

with the task of renovating the

Dobrilovina Monastery, which was located in Ottoman territory, in 1866. The monastery is located on the left Tara river banks, in a region known as ''Potarje'', at the beginning of the Tara River Canyon, the deepest river canyon in Europe. The monastery became the "centre of the spiritual and political life and aspirations for freedom in the wide area of Potarje", Dožić also having established a school that was operated secretly in the monastery, the first school in the valley of Tara — this was a very significant step towards national awakening in this region and surrounding regions. The school was temporarily moved to the nearby cave at times of Ottoman attacks. Dožić organized an insurgent battalion in the region, active between 1875 and 1878 (during the

Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–78) Montenegrin–Ottoman War may refer to: *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–53) *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–62) Montenegrin–Ottoman War may refer to: * Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–53) * Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–62) * Montene ...

and Serb–Ottoman War (1876–78)). The Ottomans had the monastery abandoned and quarters burned in 1877. On 12 June, that same year, Dožić defended Morača against Ottoman Mehmed Ali Pasha, who died in battle. He became a

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

of the

Morača Monastery The Morača ( cnr-Cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake Skadar. Its drainage basin covers ...

in 1879. He then served as archimandrite of the Morača Monastery. He sent his fraternal nephew Gavrilo Dožić, who had studied under his wing at Morača, to

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

to study in the gymnasium; Gavrilo would later serve as the 51st Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (1938–1950). Mihailo was Gavrilo's main counselor and was the one who recommended him to

Nićifor Dučić Archimandrite Nićifor Dučić ( sr-cyr, Нићифор Дучић; 1832–1900), was a Bosnian Serb theologian, historian, philologist, archimandrite, writer and academic. As Archimandrite of Herzegovina Nićifor Dučić founded the Seminary ...

for the envoy to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. He had the bridge over the

Morača river The Morača ( cnr-Cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake Skadar. Its drainage basin covers ...

built in ca. 1900.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dozic, Mihailo 1848 births 1914 deaths 19th-century Serbian people 20th-century Serbian people People from the Principality of Montenegro Serbian Orthodox clergy History of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro Serbs of Montenegro Serb rebels Serbian military leaders Ottoman period in the history of Montenegro Armed priests